


Little Spy

by dreaminrubies



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cannibalism, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, M/M, Multi, Stalking, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-01
Updated: 2013-08-12
Packaged: 2017-12-16 19:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/865803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaminrubies/pseuds/dreaminrubies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will is a single father to an eight year old daughter and the mysterious man next door catches her attention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Big Bad Wolf

                Abigail stood on her tiptoes as she peered out the window at the curious man who lived next door.  His dark hair was slicked back and his suit was really nice.  Her Daddy didn’t wear nice suits like that.  He wore plaid shirts that were covered in dog hair.

                “Abigail, you should not be spying,” Will scolded when he spotted her.

                “I’m just lookin’, Daddy,” she replied.

                “I know you, little girl, you were spying.  Now, did you finish all your breakfast?”

                “Yes, but you burned the toast again,” she complained.

                “I’m sorry.  You know that Daddy is not good at doing more than one thing at a time,” he sighed before getting down on his knees to fix her untied shoe.

                “It’s ok, Daddy.  I love you anyways,” Abigail smiled then threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss.

                Will felt his heart melt and he squeezed her close.  “I love you too.  Now, no more spying and I don’t want you to go snooping over there.”

                “Why not?”

                “Because it’s impolite and we don’t know about him.  He’s a strange man, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

                “But Daddy…”

                “No, no buts.  I mean it Abigail, you do not go over there under any circumstances,” he said seriously and fixed her with a stern look.

                “Fine, Daddy,” she groaned.

~~

                That afternoon while her Daddy was at work and old Miss Edie had fallen asleep in front of the TV, Abigail slipped on her red tennis shoes and decided to go snooping next door.  Daddy would never find out.  She was good at being sneaky.  Winston lifted his head when he saw her open the back door.

                “Shhh,” she smiled at the dog before skipping outback.

                She climbed over the stone wall that separated their houses.  The strange man’s backyard was already nicer than theirs with the pretty green grass and no weeds in sight.  He even had a pretty garden filled with beautiful flowers.  Her blue eyes went big when she saw a red rose and she went to grab it.

                “Ow,” she whimpered when a thorn dug into her soft flesh.  She stuck her bloody thumb into her mouth and suddenly wanted her Daddy.

                “Can I help you, little miss?” she heard a deep voice asked and turned around to see the man peering down curiously at her.  He didn’t look mad though.  Just amused.

                “I….sorry,” she mumbled around the thumb in her mouth.

                “Let me see please,” he requested after he crouched in front of her.

                She hesitated for a moment before pulling her thumb out of her mouth.  Maybe he was going to bite it off since she had been naughty by snooping around his property.  Oh well, she did deserve it. _My, my what big teeth you have_.  Daddy was not going to be happy with her.  No dessert for a week.

                She waited for his teeth to sink into her thumb then swallow it whole, but that never came.

                “Ah, just a little scratch, nothing more.  What is your name, little miss?” he smiled.  His teeth were very sharp.

                “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” she said softly; her father’s words now echoing in her ears.  No dessert for two weeks probably.  Abigail loved her dessert very much.

                “You’re not supposed to be spying either, little miss.  But you’ve already broken one rule, what’s the harm with breaking another?”  He held her hand tenderly in his own.

                “Abigail,” she said softly.

                “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Abigail.  My name is Hannibal.”

                “Hi, Hannibal.  I’m sorry that I was spying.”

                “Mmm, I forgive you.  You’re just a curious child after all.”

                “Daddy says nosy,” Abigail giggled then her expression turned.  “Oh, please don’t tell my Daddy that I was spying.  He will be so mad.  He said that I couldn’t come over here.  Ever.”

                “Why did he say that?” Hannibal asked curiously as he let go of her small hand.

                “Cause you’re strange and he doesn’t want me to get hurt.”

                “You have a protective Daddy who loves you very much.  Now, I usually don’t approve of snooping little girls, I find them incredibly impolite.”

                Abigail cast a guilty look down at her red shoes.  Then her tummy rumbled.  Hannibal chuckled.

                “Perhaps it is time for you to head back home so that your Daddy can give you dinner.”

                “Oh Daddy won’t be home until really, really late, but Miss Edie made me a peanut butter sandwich for dinner.  It’s in the fridgerator,” she smiled.

                He frowned.  “A peanut butter sandwich is not a proper meal at all.  Perhaps you’d like to have dinner with me?”

                “You’re not going to eat me are you?” Abigail asked wearily.   _The better to eat you up with_.

                “What on earth would give you that idea?” he laughed.

                “You might be the big bad wolf!”

                “That would make you little red riding hood then.”  She beamed at the thought.

                “Promise that you’re not going to eat me?”

                “I promise,” Hannibal said as he crossed over his heart.

                “Kay, what are we gonna eat then?”

                He just laughed again and took her hand, leading her into his house.

~~

                She drew a picture on some paper that he had given her while he prepared dinner.  His house was really clean and pretty music was playing.  Her house smelled like dog a lot and it was certainly not very clean.  Daddy didn’t really get around to cleaning.  Daddy really should be friends with this man; he could teach him a lot.

                “Do you eat vegetables, Abigail?” he asked.

                “If I gotta,” she replied.

                “You will like these haricot vert, I assure you,” he replied.

                “What’s that?” she asked.

                “Green beans,” he replied.

                “Why you call them that funny name then?”

                “It’s French.”

                “You know French?” she asked with wide eyes.

                “I know many languages, my dear.”

                “Wow, that’s so cool.  I will eat all of them then.  They sounds yummy.”

                He had of course told her that it was chicken she was eating when it was in fact the tender thigh of an incredibly rude girl at the market who was more interested in popping her gum than minding her manners.  Abigail ate everything with relish, clearly enjoying every bite with child like glee.

                “That was so yummy, Mr. Hannibal, thank you so so much,” she smiled at him.  “It was way better than a peanut butter sandwich,” she added.

                “You’re quite welcome, my dear, I’m glad you enjoyed it.  It was my pleasure cooking for you.  Perhaps we need to get you back home though, I don’t want your Daddy worrying about where you are,” he stated.

                “What time is it?”

                Hannibal looked at his expensive watch.  “Almost six thirty.”

                “Oh no, Daddy won’t be home until almost bed time, he works really late every Tuesday and Thursday.”

                “What does Daddy do?” Hannibal asked curiously.

                “He works for the FBI.”

                “Do tell me more,” Hannibal smiled.

~~

                Abigail returned home with a belly full of chocolate soufflé and vanilla ice cream.  Miss Edie was still asleep in front of TV so the little girl kissed all the dogs before skipping upstairs to do her homework.  She was reading one of her picture books in bed when she heard her Daddy come home.

                “She was good as gold, Mr. Graham,” the old lady said before leaving.

                “Hi Daddy!” Abigail beamed her father entered her room.  He looked very tired.

                “Hi, baby, did you have a good day?  Miss Edie said you were good for her,” he smiled before stooping down to give her a kiss.

                “Yeah, I was Daddy,  I always try to be good.”

                “I know you do, thank you,” he smiled and held her in his arms for a little while longer.

                Hannibal stood in his backyard and watched intently at the glowing window from the Graham house.  He could make out the shadows of Will Graham and his daughter, Abigail.  A FBI profiler was living next door and with Abigail’s help, they would all become fast friends.


	2. Sleeping Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abigail continues her visits with Hannibal while Hannibal continues to be super creepy.

                “Do you not like your grilled cheese?” Will asked while he watched his daughter pick at her food.  He made sure to get home early every Wednesday so they could have dinner together.

                She opened her mouth to tell him the truth, but saw the brief flicker of disappointment in his eyes.  “It’s really good, Daddy, you know I love grilled cheese,” Abigail smiled brightly as she took a big bite.  At least he hadn’t burned it.  It was a pale comparison to the delicious dinner that Mr. Hannibal had made for her last night.

                “It’s one of your favorites,” Will grinned then dug into his own plate of food.  Winston sat at his feet and was rewarded with little bites.  “Oh I stopped by the bakery on the way home and got some brownies for dessert.”

                Her little face brightened at that.  “Thank you, Daddy!” 

                “You’re welcome, princess.”

                He gave her a brownie after she finished all of her dinner and when he wasn’t looking, she grabbed a second one and stuffed it into her backpack for later.  Will relaxed in his chair after dinner in front of the TV, looking over some case files while Abigail stretched out on her belly on the floor.  She flipped the channel until she found Rachael Ray.

                “Since when do you watch cooking shows?” Will asked curiously as he peered over his glasses at her.

                “I’m learning new things, Daddy, I wanna learn how to cook, then I can cook for the two of us,” she smiled.

                “Ok,” Will shrugged and went back to his case file, making notes for his lecture tomorrow.

                After her bath, Will tucked her into bed and read to her the tale of _Sleeping Beauty_.  He gave her a tender kiss then retired to his room for the night.  A little while later, Abigail woke up and helped herself to the second brownie from her backpack.

                She woke the next morning with a tummy ache.

                “What’s wrong, sweetie?” Will asked when she came downstairs.  Immediately, he felt her forehead for a fever.

                “My tummy hurts,” she pouted.

                “Do you think it was the grilled cheese?” he asked.

                “No, I don’t think so, maybe it was the brownie,” she replied as a little bit of guilt swirled around in her tummy and made her feel sicker.

                “Maybe I should call in sick,” Will said thoughtfully.

                As much as she liked spending extra time with her Daddy, it was Thursday which meant he would be working late and she could go visit Hannibal.

                “No, it’s ok, just give me the funny pink stuff and I’ll feel better.  ‘Sides, it’s art day and I don’t wanna miss that,” she told him.

                “Ok, honey,” he said and gave her a spoonful of Pepto Bismol.

~~          

                Once Miss Edie was passed out again, Abigail went skipping over next store.  Her tummy still hurt a bit.  She didn’t sneak through the backyard this time.  Instead, she stretched onto her tip toes and wrapped her little fingers around the door knocker that was in the shape of a mighty stag head.

                “Good afternoon, little Abigail.  Please come in,” Hannibal smiled.

                Abigail smiled and skipped inside.  “You have a pretty house,” she told him then twisted her face in pain when her stomach turned.

                “Thank you.  What’s wrong, dear?  You look sick,” he frowned.  He smoothed her dark hair back and felt her forehead much like her Daddy had done that morning.

                “My tummy hurts.”

                “Why does your tummy hurt?”

                “Um, cause I stole an extra brownie and ate it really late at night.  I’m not ‘posed to do that,” she admitted.

                Hannibal clicked his tongue at her.  “That _was_ naughty, little Abigail.  But come, I’ll make you some tea that will help settle your tummy.”

                “Thank you,” she smiled and took his hand, letting him take her into the beautiful kitchen.

                “Does your Daddy know that you’re coming over here, Abigail?” Hannibal asked as he prepared a cup of mint tea for her.

                “No,” she replied.

                “You shouldn’t lie to your Daddy, Abigail.  That is not a nice thing to do,” Hannibal scolded.

                “It’s not lying though,” she told him matter of factly.

                He raised an eyebrow.  “And how do you figure that?”

                “Cause he didn’t ask so it’s not lying.  If he asked me if I was coming over here and I said no, then I would be lying,” she reasoned.

                “I see.  I suppose you make a good point,” Hannibal smiled as he carried the tea cup over to her.

                “Ooo it’s pretty, I don’t wanna break it,” she told him worried as her little fingers traced the beautiful painted flowers on the porcelain cup.

                “Don’t worry.  I don’t think you will and even if you do, it’s only a cup,” he replied.

                She blew across the hot liquid and took a very little sip of it.  She had learned her lesson last year about hot beverages after trying to drink her hot chocolate too fast.  She swung her little legs while she drank her tea.

                “I like coming over here, Mr. Hannibal,” she told him.

                “I enjoy your company as well, little Abigail,” he replied as he rested his chin on his hand and studied her.

                “Your eyes is a funny color,” she told him when she noticed how red they were.

                “That is not a very nice thing to say,” he commented and she blushed.

                “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.  I just have never seen red eyes before,” she replied.

                “I’m a very unique man, my dear.”

                “My tummy feels better.”

                “That’s good, my dear.  Would you like to stay for dinner again?”

                “Yes please!”

~~

                “Have you ever eaten fish, my dear?”

                “Yes!  Daddy takes me fishing with him on weekends sometimes and we catch the fishys then he fries ‘em up,” she grinned.

                “Good, good,” Hannibal smiled as he fried the delicate cheeks of a one Mr. Alan Nesbit, one the rudest telemarketers he had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

                Watching the little girl crunch down on the flesh made Hannibal feel delighted.  He couldn’t recall the last time he felt true delight.

                “I wish you could make me dinner every night, Mr. Hannibal,” she sighed after finishing the _crème brûlée_.

                “I wish I could too, my dear.  Perhaps we need to change your Daddy’s opinion of me,” he suggested.

                “How we do that?” she asked curiously.

                He grinned so wide that she could see his sharp teeth ( _as sharp as spindle_ ) before he leaned closer and shared his plan with her.

~~

                Abigail skipped home with a full belly again.  She was greeted by the sight of Miss Edie tapping her foot at her.

                “You’re in big trouble, young lady.”

                Abigail sat on her bed as she waited for her Daddy to get home.  “Stupid Miss Edie, stupid old lady,” she sulked.

                Daddy looked absolutely furious when he came into her bedroom.  “Abigail Lynn, where did you run off to this afternoon?” he asked her sternly.

                “I went to the park, Daddy!  I’m sorry, I know I’m not ‘posed to go anywhere by myself, but it was really pretty out and Miss Edie, she’s all old and can’t walk far,” she lied, throwing in a pout for good measure.

                Will soften a bit, but he still looked sternly at her.  “You know much better, Abigail.  Something could have happened to you.  Thank god it didn’t.”  He knelt in front of her and took her hands in his, squeezing them gently.  “I couldn’t take it if anything happened to you, my love.”

                Guilt twisted around in Abigail’s stomach and she wondered if she should tell him the truth.  _No, no, not yet.  You gotta wait for Mr. Hannibal’s plan_.

                “I’m sorry, Daddy, I won’t do it again,” she said softly.

                “See that you don’t or, or I’ll have to give you a spanking,” he said seriously.

                Abigail tried not to smile.  She knew that Daddy would never spank her.

                “Yes, Daddy,” she replied solemnly.

                He pressed a kiss to her forehead the hugged her close.  “I love you so much, little girl.  I’m afraid this means no dessert for a week though.”

                Abigail didn’t like the sound of that.  “Ok, Daddy,” she sighed then buried her face against his neck.  She slept in his bed that night, more his comfort than for hers.  But she didn’t mind, not really.  After all, she did love her Daddy very much.

~~

                “Miss Abigail, I haven’t seen you recently, is everything ok?” Hannibal asked a week later.  He was out in his garden and peered down at her from over the stone wall.

                “Miss Edie caught be sneaking back in from seeing you and now she is watching me like a hawk!” Abigail complained.

                “Ah, I see.  Perhaps I can help with that,” he smiled.

                “Yes please!” Abigail said, her blue eyes shining brightly.

                She slipped the white powder into Miss Edie’s iced tea and soon the woman was out like a light.

                “It worked!” she told Hannibal happily as he held the door open for her.

                That evening she ate sausage that was made from a chatty receptionist who should have known when to shut up.

                “Oh, um, Daddy said that I can’t have dessert for a week,” she told Hannibal bashfully when he placed the plate of delicious, homemade cheesecake in front of her.

                “It will be our little secret,” Hannibal smiled with his sharp teeth.

~~

                Hannibal sat perched on Abigail’s bed, watching the little girl sleep.  Her dark hair was splayed across her face.  He watched her little chest rise and fall with each breath.  He wanted to grab her and take her away right then and there.  She could be his little girl instead.  He would cherish her and cook for her every night.  She would have beautiful dolls and finely crafted clothing.  She would be his. 

                As he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, he thought that tomorrow his plan would go into effect.  The sudden thought of feeding Will Graham to his daughter made his head spin with delight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, thanks for all the comments and kudos! It means a lot! <3


	3. Fairy Godfather

                “You must be brave for me tomorrow afternoon, little Abigail.  Do you promise to be brave?” Hannibal asked her.

                “Yes, I will be as brave as Princess Merida,” she promised as she crossed her heart.

                Hannibal had never seen a Disney movie until Abigail had come into his life.  Now he had seen them all in order to understand her references.

                “That is a very good answer, my dear,” he smiled as he caught her in his arms.

                He wouldn’t be there to catch her tomorrow, but that’s ok.  She would be very brave.

~~

                Abigail waved at Dr. Bloom as she climbed up the jungle gym.  She couldn’t sneak away under Alana’s watchful eye, but at least she took her to do fun things like the park and the zoo.  Alana waved back before she scanned the other children and parents in the park.  Out of the corner of her eye, Abigail spotted Hannibal.  She could see his white, sharp teeth glittering in the sunlight.  _Time to be brave_.

                She carefully climbed to the top of the jungle gym.  Just like they had practiced for two weeks after Hannibal had told her that it was time for their plan to go into effect.  Just a little pain and some blood.  Nothing too bad.  Nothing would be broken.  She took a deep breath before she allowed herself to fall.

                Oh, there was pain and blood and she found tears springing to her eyes.  So much for being brave.  She smiled a little bit when she saw Hannibal standing above her.

                “Very good, my dear, very good,” he praised while he checked her over for any serious damage.  There was none of course.

                “Oh my god, Abigail, what happened are you alright?” Alana asked, her voice thick with worry as she knelt down on Abigail’s other side.

                “Hurts,” Abigail breathed out.

                “Just a bad scrape, she’ll need some ice to help with the swelling,” Hannibal said as he looked over her injured knee.

                “I’m sorry, who are you?” Alana asked with some edge in her voice.

                “Just a passerby.  I used to work in the ER during my rounds and I’m afraid I can’t ignore an injured person.  Dr. Hannibal Lecter,” he introduced.  “I also happen to live next door to this little girl and her father.”

                Alana softened a bit.  “Dr. Alana Bloom.”

                “A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Bloom.”

                “Her father is going to kill me,” Alana sighed.

                “Nonsense, children have accidents.  She’ll live to see another day,” Hannibal smiled.

                Abigail didn’t like the way that Alana was looking at Hannibal.

                “I wanna go home,” Abigail pouted.

                “Oh yes, oh crap.  We walked here.  I’ll have to carry you back,” Alana sighed.

                “Would you allow me to do so?  I’ll be able to examine her better in a cleaner environment,” Hannibal offered.

                Hannibal carried her home and once they were inside the Graham house, Alana got the first aid kit.  He ripped the hole in her jeans wider and methodically cleaned her cut.

                “So you’re the one who lives in that mini mansion?” Alana smiled as she stroked Abigail’s dark hair and wiped away her tears.

                “Yes, that would be me,” Hannibal replied before carefully taping the bandage across the wound.

                “Daddy thinks he’s scary,” Abigail sniffled.

                “Abigail,” Alana scolded.

                “No need to apologize.  I’m sure your father is coming from a good place.”

                “Will’s just wary of people, that’s all, it has to do with the job,” Alana said.

                “And what job would that be?” Hannibal asked, pretending as if he didn’t already know.

                When Will arrived home, he found the three of them sitting around the island in the kitchen, having tea and cookies with Winston sleeping on the floor.

                “What is going on here?” Will asked seriously as he slammed his briefcase down.

                “Daddy, I fell at the park and Mr. Hannibal helped save me,” Abigail said as she threw her arms around his waist.

                Will’s hard gaze settled on Hannibal while his hand clasped the back of Abigail’s head.

                “ _Will_.  Hannibal was incredibly helpful.  He cleaned Abby’s cuts and helped me carry her back to the house.

                “He’s very nice, Daddy,” Abigail added as she hid her smile against his denim clad thigh.

                Will’s softened a bit.  “What happened?”  He knelt in front of his daughter and cradled her face in his hands.

                “I slipped and I fell of the jungle gum, I’m ok though,” she told him.

                “I’m sorry, my sweet girl,” he said then covered her face with soft kisses before he examined her knee.

                “He did do a good job,” he sighed.  Abigail stuck to his side as he walked over to Hannibal.  He offered his hand.

                “I apologize for my gruffness.  I’m protective of Abigail,” Will said.

                “Understandably so,” Hannibal replied as he shook his hand.  “I should be heading home now, I’m sure Abigail has homework to do.”

                “Thank you again,” Will said sincerely as he showed Hannibal to the door.

                Hannibal gave a nod then bid goodbye before leaving.  Alana stayed for dinner that evening and even cooked.  She made chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese.  Two of Abigail’s favorites.  Although Abigail found it sad to be eating dinner without Hannibal around.  However she forgot about that as she dug into the chocolate ice cream that her Daddy had bought home with him.

~~

                “I made this for you in class.  We have art day every Thursday.  It’s my favorite,” Abigail smiled as she slowly unrolled the white piece of paper.  It was a crude drawing of Abigail leaping into the air with Hannibal poised to catch her.  He found himself feeling touched.

                “Thank you, little Abigail.  I shall cherish this,” he said and placed the painting on his desk.

                “How comes you don’t have a wife?” Abigail asked curiously she hopped off the chair and explored the paintings that Hannibal had hanging in his office.

                “I never found the right woman.”  There was a brief pause.  “What happened to your mother, Abigail?”

                Her little body tensed up and she whirled around to face him.  “I don’t wanna talk about that,” she said seriously.

                “Why not?” he asked.

                “Cause I don’t wanna and you can’t make me!” she shouted.

                His eyes narrowed at her.  “Mind your manners, little Abigail,” he scolded.

                “You’re not my Daddy!  You can’t tell me what to do!” she yelled, grabbed her backpack and went running out his office.  He heard his front door slam on the way out.  She didn’t speak to him for a week.

~~

                “Are you mad at me cause I yelled at you?” she asked softly.  She had slipped the white powder into Miss Edie’s iced tea that afternoon and had climbed over the stone wall.

                Hannibal clipped the rose from the bush and turned around to look at her.

                “I’m not mad.  I’m not happy that you screamed at me like that, but I’m not mad at you,” he said honestly.

                “I’m sorry that I yelled,” she offered.

                “I forgive you, little Abigail,” he said and offered her the rose once he had clipped the thorns off.

                “Thanks,” she grinned and tucked it into the pocket of her overalls.

                “I won’t ask you about your mother again if it upsets you so much.  I apologize for that.”

                “My mommy died when I was really little.  I only kinda remember her,” Abigail said as sat down in the grass.

                “My mother died when I was little too.”

                “It sucks,” she admitted.

                Hannibal laughed softly and nodded his agreement.  “It does.”

                She moved closer to him and he shared the names of the various flowers to her.

~~

                She pressed the rose between the pages of her worn copy of _Cinderella_.  Maybe Hannibal was her fairy godmother _?  Godfather_ , she corrected.  _Oh, or maybe he was a prince!_

                “What story tonight, princess?” Will asked as he sat on her bed then kissed the tip of her nose.

                “Little Red Riding Hood, please,” she requested.

                Will plucked the book from the shelf and settled next to her on the bed.  She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes while he read to her.

                Hannibal settled himself on the floor of little Abigail’s closet while he listened to Will read to her.  Will Graham tried to be a good father.  But trying simply wasn’t good enough.  Abigail deserved a much better father.  A father who was there for her every day after school and would provide her with every desire.  What she deserved was _him_ and that’s what he was going to give her.

                

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks so much for all the comments and kudos! So glad that you're all enjoying! :)


	4. Wicked Witch

                Hannibal showed Abigail how to use water colors when the doorbell rang.  Will allowed her to spend time over there every now and then after Alana had assured him that everything would be fine and after he made Jack run a thorough background check.

                “Stay here, little one,” he told her, leaving her in his study while he went to answer the door.

                She didn’t listen of course and carefully tip toed into the hallway.  She peered from behind the curved handle of the staircase.  The blonde woman looked pretty and mean.  Like a witch.  A wicked witch.  She couldn’t really hear what they were saying so she moved in a little closer.

                “Who is that?” that blonde woman asked when she spotted Abigail.

                Hannibal frowned when he saw Abigail snooping.  “A very naughty girl.  Come here Abigail,” he said sternly.

                She walked over him with her head bowed.

                “Hello, Abigail,” the woman said to her.

                “Hello, sorry I was spying.  I do that a lot,” she admitted and watched a very small smile creep across the woman’s face.

                “Yes you do, which is very rude.   If I catch you doing it again, there will be consequences,” Hannibal warned.

                “You’re not my Daddy, you can’t punish me,” Abigail told him seriously then folded her arms over his chest and glared at him.

                A muscled worked in Hannibal’s jaw and Abigail had never seen him truly angry before.

                “I think it’s best that you go home now, Abigail,” he told her solemnly.

                “But we haven’t had dinner yet,” she said after her jaw had dropped a bit.

                “You’re being very rude and rude little girls don’t get rewarded with dinner.  Or dessert.”

                Little tears brimmed in her blue eyes.  “I hate you and I’m never talkin’ to you again!” she yelled at him before storming out of his house.

                “She’s…. vivacious,” Bedelia commented with a wry grin.

                Hannibal glowered at her.

~~

                “Did something happen at school, baby?  You seem so sad lately,” Will commented one evening as he brushed Abigail’s hair after her bubble bath.

                “Daddy can we go fishin’ this weekend?  Please?”  Her big blue eyes pleaded with his.

                “Sure, baby, if that’s what you’d like.”

                “Thank you, Daddy.”

                They went fishing that weekend on the lake and she caught three “fishy” by herself and didn’t once think about stupid Hannibal.  On the way back to the cabin, they found an injured puppy and Daddy let Abigail keep her.  Lady was her friend now and she didn’t need Hannibal anymore.  She was going to be sure to tell him that when they got home.

~~

                Abigail saw Hannibal walking to his elegant stone mailbox so she hooked Lady to her leash and trotted her outside.

                “Hello, little Abigail.  Who is your new friend?” he asked kindly.

                “Her name is Lady and she is my new best friend.  She’s better than you.  She’s not mean,” Abigail told him snootily.

                He looked a little hurt.  “You’re not being very kind to me.  I thought we were friends.”

                “You were mean to me first and we’re not friends anymore,” she stated before turning on her heels and pulling the puppy behind her.

                Hannibal’s cheek twitched again.

~~

                “She’s a child, Hannibal.  They aren’t exactly the most rational creatures,” Bedelia told him over the sautéed liver of a real ass of a lab tech.

                “I don’t have much experience with children.  However, I enjoyed her company and she proved to be a fairly well behaved girl until lately.”

                “Children like to test their limits, especially when they get comfortable.  Give Lady a gift and I’m sure Abigail will love you all over again.”  She paused for a moment to take a sip of wine.  “Is this really about forming a friendship with Abigail or this more about getting closer to her father perhaps?”

                “What do you mean?”

                Bedelia raised a brow.  “I’m surprised you haven’t heard the rumors about Will Graham.”

                “What rumors?”

                “About how easily he can slip into people’s minds.  Assume their points of view  That’s why the FBI treasures him so.”

                She watched the curiosity bloom in his eyes.

~~

                Abigail sat in her backyard with the brown and white King Charles spaniel sitting between her legs.  She was currently making a flower crown for her puppy to wear.

                “Hello, little Abigail and Miss Lady,” Hannibal said.  He was wearing leather gloves and a warm coat.  He held a light blue box tied with white ribbon in his hand.

                Abigail eyed the present curiously but said nothing. 

                “I’m sorry I was so cross with you the other day.  I had forgotten my manners.”

                “You needed a time out then,” she told him seriously.  He laughed softly.

                “Is that what Daddy gives you when you misbehave?”

                “Yep.  I sorry that I yelled at you, but you were mean first.”

                “You’re right, I was.  May I sit with you?”

                Abigail nodded and eyed the box again.  “I bought something for Lady since she is your new friend, which makes her my friend now too.”

                He opened the box and showed Abigail the sterling silver collar with a crown shaped tag that had Lady engraved on it.

                “Oh pretty!  Lady, look!  Tell Hannibal thank you.”

                Lady just sat there and Abigail sighed.  “She says thank you, Mr. Hannibal.”

                “She is very welcome.”

                He helped her attach the collar around Lady’s neck.  Abigail scooted closer to Hannibal and rested her head on his arm.

                “I’m glad we’re friends again,” she smiled up at him.

                “Me too, little Abigail.  Now tell me, did you know that your Daddy has a very special gift?”

                “Yeah, that’s why Uncle Jack keeps making him work all the time.  Daddy wants to quit sometimes, but Uncle Jack says that he is too, um, it’s a big word that starts with a v.”

                “Valuable?”

                “Yeah!  That’s the word!”

                “So, little Abigail, what can you tell me about this gift?” he asked while he stroked Lady’s soft head.

~~

                “Daddy, do you like Lady’s new collar?  Mr. Hannibal got it for her.”

                “It’s very pretty,” Will commented as he lightly fingered the sterling silver.

                “Daddy, we should have Mr. Hannibal over for dinner, he is very nice,” Abigail said while she brushed out Lady’s soft fur.

                “Um, I’m not sure he’d like that very much.”

                “He likes me, and Lady. He’ll like you too, Daddy,” Abigail said, knowing her Daddy didn’t have many friends and maybe he was worried that Hannibal wouldn’t like him.  But she knew that Hannibal liked him very much, he had told her so this afternoon.  He was the one who had suggested that Abigail ask her father about the dinner.

                “Do you think Mr. Hannibal would like grilled cheese?” Will teased her.

                Abigail responded with a giggle even though she knew that Hannibal would HATE grilled cheese.  She didn’t want to hurt her Daddy’s feelings though.

~~~

                “Who is that in your painting?” Hannibal asked, referring to the blonde woman in the long purple dress and pointy hat.

                “Your friend, the lady with the blonde hair,” Abigail replied.

                “Her name is Bedelia.”

                “That’s Bedelia then.  I made her a witch cause she kinda looks like one.”

                A scolding was on the tip of Hannibal’s tongue, but he pushed it down.  His lips twisted into a smile because the more he thought about it, the more he saw Abigail’s point of view.  Bedelia resemble a witch in some ways.

                “That’s very nice, Abigail.”

                “You can keep and show it to Bedelia next time.”

                “Oh, I’m sure she’ll like it very much,” he laughed.

~~

                Abigail fell asleep in front of the TV that evening while she watched _The Wizard of Oz_.  Lady merely thumped her tail when she saw Hannibal and made no noise of alert.  Will had passed out hours ago in his office thanks to the drugs that Hannibal had placed in the cookies that he sent Abigail home with.  He knew she would only eat the ones with the pink icing.  Winston was happily subdued with a bone.

                Hannibal scooped the little girl up and carried her up to bed with Lady following dutifully at his heels.  He placed her small form on the bed and carefully removed her pink shoes.

                “Mano saldus princesė,” he whispered tenderly as he tucked her into bed.  Before he left, he covered a sleeping Will with a blanket then took a few of the special agent’s files with him.

               

                


	5. The Boogeyman

                Will felt his blood run cold when the morning news came on the TV.

                _“The body of seven year old Elise Nichols was found this morning.  She had been strangled to death.  After the three day disappearance, her parents discovered her mutilated corpse this morning.  She had been placed in her bed with a stuffed animal tucked under her arm.  There has been no conformation yet from the local police force if Elise Nichols is another victim of The Boogeyman, but there is a great speculation that he has struck again.”_

                His cell phone began to buzz incessantly.

~~

                “Daddyyyy, he lives like twenty steps away. No one is gonna take me in twenty steps!” Abigail complained loudly.

                “I said no.  You’re not walking over there by yourself,” Will stated firmly.

                “Lady will come with me,” Abigail said.

                Will eyed the puppy that was busy chasing her own tail.  “No.”

                Abigail huffed, crossed her arms then flopped down on the floor and proceeded to sulk.

                “Where is Tawny?” Will sighed as he glanced at the clock.  He had hired a new babysitter for his daughter since Miss Edie kept falling asleep on the job.

                “I don’t like Tawny, she’s stupid.  Even her name is stupid.”

                “Abigail Lynn, that is not nice at all.”

                “I don’t care, it’s true.”

                “Do you want to stand in time out?”

                “ _No_.”

                “Then watch your mouth.”

                Lady stopped chasing her tail and went barking at the front door when the bell rang.  Will went to let the sixteen year old babysitter in.

                “Sorry I’m late, Mr. Graham,” the brunette said sheepishly and Will tried not to gawk at the hickies on her neck.

                “It’s ok.  I’ll be back by seven.  Keep her inside the house and do not open the door for anyone.  I have a key and I can let myself in,” Will explained.

                “What if Lady and Winston has to pee, Daddy?”

                “You can let them outback under Tawny’s supervision.”

                Abigail groaned loudly then flopped onto her back. She dug her heels into the carpet; on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

                “Can I have a kiss before I go, please?”  Will asked, leaning over her and smoothed one hand down her face.

                Abigail lifted herself up a bit and brushed her lips over his cheek.

                “Thank you,” he smiled then pressed a kiss to her forehead.

                “Can I go see Mr. Hannibal if Tawny walks with me?” Abigail asked hopefully.

                “ _No_.”

                “But Daddy, he’s probably safer than she is!”

                Will glanced over at the teenager who was flopped on his sofa, furiously typing out text messages.  He didn’t want to admit that Abigail was probably right.

                “What if I call Hannibal and ask if he’ll come over here for a little bit?” Will offered.

                “Yes, please!  Daddy, thank you,” she grinned.

                Will pulled out his cell and scrolled through until he had found Hannibal’s number.

                “I hope I’m not disturbing you, Dr. Lecter.”

                “Please, Will.  Call me Hannibal and not at all.  What can I help you with?”

                “I’m sure you’ve seen the news reports lately about Elise Nichols.”

                “I have.  Tragic. Makes you wonder what sort of man can do such a thing to innocent children.”

                Will made a soft noise. “He’s probably a man who’s lost his own daughter who resembles these girls so he’s taking them from other people so they will understand his pain,” he explained then suddenly stopped talking.  “So…sorry, I don’t…you probably didn’t need to hear any of that.”

                _Oh, but I did_.  “I’m sure it’s common for your work to bleed over into your personal life,” Hannibal offered kindly.

                “I try not to let it,” Will sighed.  “Anyways I was calling for a reason. So I’m not really keen on letting Abby walk over to your house this afternoon as you can understand, but she does really want to see you.  Do you mind visiting her for a bit at our house?  Her sitter is here, but I’ll admit that I’ll feel somewhat better about leaving her alone if you were here for awhile.”

                “I understand completely, Will.  Even I would feel better keeping an eye over little Abigail this evening.  I’ll be right over.”

                “Thank you.”

                Will did feel a little less guilty when he left the house.  He was fairly certain Hannibal could fend off an attacker and Tawny didn’t seem to care; her nose still shoved in her cell phone.

~~

                Abigail sat between Hannibal’s legs while he taught Lady various commands to follow.

                “How come you don’t have a dog?” she asked curiously.

                “I guess I never found one that I bonded with,” he replied then told Lady to roll over.  The brown and white spaniel rolled over on the carpet then wagged her tail. 

                “Good girl, Lady,” Abigail praised and gave her a homemade treat that Hannibal had bought over.  “You’d be a good Daddy, Mr. Hannibal.”

                “Thank you, my dear.”  _Soon, soon I will be_.

                “You’re not like a freak or anything are you?” Tawny asked as she leaned over the arm of the couch.

                “Excuse me?” Hannibal asked as he eyed her hard.

                “You don’t have kids, but you like hanging out with kids.  You’re not one of _those_ are you?”

                “You’re gross, Tawny, shut up,” Abigail snapped at her.

                “Do you think Will Graham would allow me into his house if I was one of _those_?”

                Tawny rolled her eyes and he wondered how they would taste when he slurped them down.

                “Mr. Hannibal is really nice, Tawny so just shut up.”

                “Abigail there is no reason to be rude.”

                “She was being rude first. You should be yellin’ at her and not me.”

                Hannibal smiled and smoothed a hand down Abby’s dark hair.  _How right she was_.

                “Shall we eat, ladies?  I bought over ingredients for a lovely dinner.”

~~

                Tawny didn’t say one word as she ate the delicious meal of chicken cordon bleu with steamed broccoli and fragrant basmati rice.  Hannibal watched with delighted eyes while the teenager scoffed down the prom queen who had rammed into the back of Hannibal’s car and sped away without so much as leaving a note.  How silly she had been to think he wouldn’t have found out.

                “You should ask Daddy if you can be my babysitter instead,” Abigail said after she swallowed her last bite.  Lady and Winston had their own bits of chicken that they were eating from their dog dishes.

                “Hey!” Tawny objected and Abigail ignored her.

                “Well we wouldn’t want to put Tawny out of a job, would we?”

                “Yeah.  Who cares?  She can just go make out with her boyfriend instead,” Abigail taunted and made kissy faces at Tawny.

                “ _Abigail_ ,” Hannibal frowned.  “Do you want to go to bed without dessert?”

                “No,” Abigail said quickly a she remembered the peach and nectarine tartlets warming in the oven.

                “Then mind your tongue.”

                She sighed and behaved herself.   Hannibal gave her an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream with her tartlet.  After dinner, Tawny watched some show about teenaged werewolves while Abigail stretched out on the floor and completed her English exercises.  Will’s headlights shone through the window at seven sharp.

                “Daddy!” Abigail cried out as she ran to the door to greet her father.

                Hannibal felt a small pang.  How he wished she would greet him like that.  _One day_.  _One day_. _Patience, patience, patience_.  Will scooped his daughter up and covered her with kisses while Winston and Lady barked and wagged their tails.

                “Bye, Mr. Graham.  Abby was kind of good I guess,” Tawny said.  Will balanced Abigail on one hip and gave the girl her money.  Abigail stuck her tongue out at the teenager when Will wasn’t looking.

                “Come on, Tawny, I’ll drive you home,” Will offered.  He wasn’t about to let this girl walk around the streets at night with a serial killer on the loose.

                “It’s only a couple of blocks,” she shrugged.

                “I’m driving you home.  Hannibal, do you…”

                “Not at all, I’ll stay with Abigail while you get Tawny safely back home.”

                “Thanks.”

~~

                When Will returned from the short drive, he discovered Abigail on her belly, chin propped in her hands while she listened intently with wide, blue eyes Hannibal read to her the tale of _Hansel and Gretel_.  He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.  The man’s voice was very soothing.

                Abigail’s soft voice jilted him back to reality.  “I wanna live in a candy house!”

                “Of course you do.  Although you’d probably end up eating your entire house in one sitting,” Hannibal laughed.

                “Yeah, probably, but then I’d just get another candy house!” Abigail reasoned.

                “Alright, princess.  Say good night to Mr. Hannibal, it’s time for bed,” Will said.

                Abigail nodded then pressed a kiss to Hannibal’s cheek.  “Night night, thanks for watching me.  I like it when you watch me.”

                “It was my honor, sweet dreams, little Abigail.”

                Abigail skipped up the steps with Winston and Lady following behind.

                “Thank you again.  I’m sure you have better things to do with your time then babysit an eight year old.”

                “She’s a lively, smart girl, Will.  She’s good company actually.  I don’t mind, especially in light of current circumstances.  Did you make any progress tonight on how to catch this man?”

                “A bit.  Alana doesn’t think I should be consulting.  The girls look way too much like Abigail and she worries about how deep this will drag me in.  Jack disagrees; he thinks I’m the perfect person to catch him.”

                “I would agree with Jack.  You can get inside of this man’s head, who better than to catch him?”

                Will was silent for a moment.  “I….I worry that I will get too far inside of this man’s head.”

                “A risk in this profession.”

                Will shook his head.  “It’s not the same with me.”

                “Would you like to talk about it?”

                Will scoffed.  “I’m not a fan of therapy, Dr. Lecter.”

                “Who said anything about therapy?  I was merely asking as a friend.  We are friends, aren’t we, Will?”

                “I….guess….we are.”

                “I’ll fix us some coffee then we can have a discussion.  As friends.  I promise to stay out of your head,” Hannibal smiled.

                Will chuckled lightly at the joke.  “Let me tuck Abigail in then I’ll be right down.”

                Lady slept on Abigail’s bed while Winston followed Will back down the stairs where he slept on the kitchen floor while the two men talked.

                “It’s more than just getting inside of their heads.  I become them.  I can become lost in them.”

                Hannibal pursed his lips and let out a thoughtful hmm, but offered not much else in way of response to Will continued.

                “I _need_ to catch this man, but I’m afraid that I’ll…” he said then his voice faltered.

                “Afraid that you’ll become too much like him and that becomes dangerous for Abigail.

                “Yes.”

                “I’ll help you, Will.”

                “And why exactly would you do that?”

                “We’re friends.  Abigail only has you in her life, she can’t lose that.  It would have devastating effects.  She’s already lost one parent.”

                “So you’ll be there to pull me back from the edge if I get to that point?”

                “So to speak.”

                “I…appreciate that.”

                Hannibal nodded then finished his coffee.

~~

                He returned to the Graham house that evening to watch Will sleep.  The curly haired man tossed and turned endlessly in his bed.  He seemed to be caught in some sort of nightmare.  Sweat soaked the sheets.  The psychiatrist found himself smiling.


	6. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

                Garrett Jacob Hobbs watched the daughter of one William Graham as she climbed the monkey bars.  Her dark hair fell down her shoulders and her cheeks were chapped pink from the cold, crisp air.  He could see how bright her blue eyes were from where he stood.  _Oh yes, she was perfect_. _She looked just like his daughter.  The perfect carbon copy._

~~

                Marissa sat next to Abigail in the sandbox while the two traced pictures in the sand.  Alana sat next to Will on the park bench.

                “You should let her go.  You can’t keep her locked inside of the house forever,” Alana reasoned.

                “I know, I know,” he sighed then removed his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose.

                “Marissa’s mom is nice.  The girls will have fun.  They’ll bake cookies, giggle, shriek and stay up all night and Abby will love you forever if you let her go.”

                “She’s all I have Alana.”

                “We’ve talked about how unhealthy that is, Will.  You should get some friends your own age.”

                “I have friends.  In fact, Hannibal invited me over for dinner Friday night.”

                “See?  That’s good.  That’s healthy.  Did you say yes?”

                “I told him that I’ll let him know.”

                Alana rolled her eyes.  “Call him and tell him yes.  Then tell Abigail that she can have her sleepover at Marissa’s.

                Abigail squealed when Will gave her permission and she had him dig her sleeping bag out of the attic that evening.  That Friday night, Abigail slept over at the Schurr residence while Will had dinner at Hannibal’s.

~~

                “Would you like to help me in the kitchen, Will?” Hannibal offered as he slipped a white apron on.

                “I’m not much of a cook.  I’m sure Abby’s told you that,” Will laughed.

                “All the more reason for me to show you some tips.”

                Will finished the glass of wine and shrugged his shoulders.  “Sure, why not?”

                Hannibal grinned and handed Will the sharp knife then guided him to the chopping block.

                “Sharp, smooth cuts, you don’t want to butcher the meat,” Hannibal instructed and placed his hand on top of Will’s, showing the man how to cut the perfect piece of loin from one Carl Johanick.  He had been a sorry excuse of a butcher.  How fitting this seemed.

                Will sliced through a tender piece of meat and dropped the knife.

                “Will, what is it?”

                “He….he does this to the girls.”

                “Butchers them?  Like pieces of meat?”

                “Yes.”

                “Why?”

                “To consume them.  To make them a part of him in order to gain back the daughter he lost.”

                “Have you told Jack this?”

                Will shook his head.  “Just dawned on me now.”

                “He doesn’t consume their entire body though.  He leaves some it behind for their parents to find.”

                “A mockery.  None of the girls are perfect yet.  He hasn’t found the perfect little girl yet.  Only pieces of them are worthy enough.  He’s going to keep taking them until he finds the perfect daughter.  _His_ daughter.”

                Will missed the flicker that filled Hannibal’s maroon eyes.

                “I’m starting to see why Jack doesn’t want to let you go,” Hannibal whispered as he grasped Will’s hands.

                Will let out a sardonic chuckle and allowed his fingers to curl over Hannibal’s for a moment.  “Do you mind if I have another glass of wine?”

                “Of course not,” Hannibal smiled and pulled away to get them another glass of red wine.

~~

                “I had so much fun, Daddy,” Abigail grinned and began to chat happily about her sleepover with Marissa while Will’s head throbbed from the hangover.

                “That’s great, baby,” Will replied with a tense smile as he drove them home.

                The spaniel jumped happily on Abigail when they got in the house.

                “I missed you too, Lady, let me tell you all about my sleepover,” Abigail said and began to babble happily at the dog.

                Will took the chance to get himself a cup of coffee.  He was savoring the taste when his cell phone rang.

                “What is it, Jack?” he answered.

                “There’s been another victim.”

                Will paled over.  “Who is it?”

                “Cassie Boyle.  Eight years old.”

                Will swallowed hard and didn’t answer.

                “Will?  Will?  You there?”

                “Y….yeah.  She goes…she went to Abigail’s school,” Will said with strained breath.

                “Jesus, listen, if you don’t think you can handle it…”

                “No!  No.  I want to catch this bastard myself,” Will growled.

                “That’s what I want to hear,” Jack replied.

                He finished his cup of coffee then took a few aspirin before calling Hannibal.

~~

                Abigail was scowling when Hannibal arrived at the house.

                “What is that face for?” he asked curiously.

                “Weekends are ‘posed to be my time with Daddy.  He’s not ‘posed to be working,” she explained with a sour expression.

                Will shrugged on his coat and sighed, giving Hannibal a “help me out here” expression.

                “I’m sure that Daddy would rather be here with you, but he is a very important man who helps catch very bad people.”

                “Duh, I already know that.”

                “ _Abigail_ ,” both men scolded quickly.

                “Daddy, can’t someone else catch this bad person?” she whined softly.

                Will knelt in front of her and cradled her little face in his large hands.  “It has to be me, baby.  I’m sorry.  Listen, I promise to be home in time for dinner and tomorrow we’ll go the park with the dogs, ok?”  He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

                “Kay,” she sighed and kissed his cheek.

                “Be good, I’ll see you tonight.”

~~

                When he closed his eyes, all he could see where their faces.  Their young, round faces.  Their long dark hair.  Their sweet smiles.  Their little hands.  Bright, trusting eyes.

                His hands curled into fists.  He could taste the bile in the back of his throat.

                _Don’t scream sweet girl.  Daddy loves you so much.  It will only hurt for a little bit, then it will all be over.  You’ll be with Daddy forever this way._

                “Will?  Will!”  Alana’s voice bought him back to reality.

                “What?” he croaked.

                “It’s six.  I thought you’d might like to know so you can go home.  Be with Abigail,” she smiled.

                “Thanks,” he sighed before he ran his fingers through his hair.

                “We’ll catch him,” Alana assured him before he left.

~~

                Will scooped Abigail into his arms and held her close once he got into the house.  The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck.

                “Daddy, you ok?” she asked softly.  She could always pick up on his moods no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

                “I’m tired.  Happy to see you though,” Will replied while he rubbed her back.  Hannibal noticed the man was trembling.

                “Will, come sit and eat with us.  I’m sure you’ll feel better after that,” Hannibal reasoned and Abigail nodded her agreement.

                “S…sounds good,” Will agreed and carried Abigail into the dining room.

                Hannibal watched Will cut up Abigail’s steak for her.  He folded his fingers and smiled behind them.  The tender meat they were about to devour belonged to Evan Thatcher.  An incredibly rude man who had sneered at Hannibal the other day when he purchased the silver collar for Lady.  Oh, he even made sure the puppy got a piece of this meat.

                “You’re spoiling us, you know?” Will smiled while he rinsed off the dishes.

                “It’s my pleasure, it’s nice having people to cook for and entertain.”

                “It must get lonely in that big house, all by yourself.”

                “It can at times, although being alone isn’t always disagreeable.”

                “Well you’re always welcome in our house.  I apologize for misjudging you, Hannibal.  It was a mistake on my part; I just didn’t want anything to happen to my daughter.”

                “Thank you for the apology, your intentions were good even if they were misguided.”

                “I guess I deserve to be scolded,” Will laughed.

                “Just a bit,” Hannibal smiled.

                Will took Abigail upstairs later and gave her a bath.  He braided her dark hair afterwards.

                “We can still go to the park tomorrow, right?” she asked.

                “Of course, I made you a promise.  I’ll even turn my cell phone off while we’re there,” he smiled then tickled her ribs.  She squealed then giggled.  “Did you want to invite Hannibal to join us?”

                “Uh, maybe.  It’s ‘posed to be our special time though,” Abigail said.

                “It can just be us and the dogs, baby.”

                “Yeah, but I don’t wanna make him feel left out.”

                “You’re a sweet girl, Abby; we’ll invite him to join us then, baby.”

                Hannibal stood outside the girl’s bedroom while he listened to the conversation.  He felt an odd lump form in his throat and he quickly swallowed it down before he returned downstairs.

                “Go say goodnight to Hannibal,” Will instructed.

                “Night night.  Daddy said you can come with us to the park tomorrow if you wanna,” Abigail smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

                “That sounds lovely, my dear.  I don’t want to intrude though.”

                “I doesn’t know what that means, but we does want you to come with us.”

                “I will accompany you then.”

                She smiled and went back upstairs with Lady following behind her.

                “Would you like to have breakfast at my house tomorrow before the park?” Hannibal asked while he slipped his coat on.

                “Are you sure?  I don’t want to impose; you cook for us all the time. I could always pick up some donuts or something.”

                Will didn’t miss the look of disgust that crossed Hannibal’s face.  “Right, you don’t seem like the donut type of guy,” he laughed.

                “I’m not.  I enjoy cooking.  I’m careful about what I put in my body and I prefer to cook my own food.”

                “Fair enough.  Breakfast sounds wonderful then,” Will said.

                Hannibal didn’t feel the need to sneak back into the Graham house that night.


	7. Lady and The Tramp

                “Why can’t Mr. Hannibal watch me?” Abigail pouted.

                “He has appointments this afternoon.  He has patients to see,” Will replied then fixed her ponytail.

                “This sucks.  I don’t like Tawny.  She’s dumb.”

                “Abigail, that’s not nice.”

                “It’s true!  Lady has more brains than dumb Tawny.”

                “Abigail Lynn!  You can go stand in time out.  You’re being incredibly rude,” he scolded and pointed towards the corner.

                She huffed, stamped her little foot then retreated into the corner.  Lady looked up briefly then went back to chewing on her squeaky toy while Winston pressed into Will’s side.  Will looked down at the dog and gently ran his fingers through the brown fur.  He checked the fridge and cupboards to make sure that the girls had enough to eat this evening.  He really needed to make a grocery run soon.  Maybe he could do it tomorrow.  Jack had promised him the entire weekend off.

                After five minutes, Will released his daughter from time out.  She looked sullen.  He knelt in front of her and pulled her close before he clasped her tiny hands with his own.

                “I know that you don’t like Tawny very much, but that is no reason to say such mean things about her,” he lectured.

                “I know,” she sighed heavily.

                He kissed her forehead then pulled her into a tight hug.  Abigail smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on just as tightly.

                “You’re my best girl, you know that?” he whispered into her ear.

                “Yeah, and you’re the best daddy ever,” she smiled.

                Will wasn’t so sure that he was, but it warmed his heart to hear that his little girl thought he was.

                “Come on, I’ll help you with your homework while we wait for Tawny.  She’s late,” Will said when he noted the time of the kitchen clock.

                “That’s cause she’s making out with her boyfriend,” the eight year old snickered.

                “Abigail!  Do you even know what making out means?”

                “Yeah, duh, people does it on TV all the time,” she replied before she went to get her books out of her backpack.

                Will made a mental note to remind himself to set up some kind of parental block on the TV.  He joined his daughter on floor and helped her figure out some of the problems in her math workbook.  Tawny rang the doorbell about half an hour later.  The roll of Abigail’s eyes did not go unnoticed by Will.

                “Sorry I’m late, Mr. Graham.  I had a tutoring session,” she replied and he did his best to ignore her swollen lips and hickey marked neck.

                “Of course, come on in,” he said.  “Abigail’s finished with most of her homework, there’s stuff to eat in the house and I’ll be home by nine at the latest.  Just make sure she has her bath, she can watch TV until I get home.”

                “Yay!  Thanks, Daddy!” Abigail cheered.

                “Be good,” he reminded his daughter and gave her a kiss and the dogs a rub before he left for work.

                “Tawny is your boyfriend a vampire?” Abigail asked curiously.

                “No, why?” Tawny asked with a raised brow.

                “Cause he keeps leaving marks on your neck.  He’s sucking your blood,” Abigail giggled and the teen rolled her eyes.

                “Ha ha ha, you’re a real comedian, Abby,” she said sarcastically.

                Abigail poked her tongue out at Tawny then went back to doing her spelling assignment.

~~

                Oh, yes.  She would be perfect.  She looked exactly like his daughter.  His little angel that was taken from him too soon.  The others hadn’t been quite perfect.  Cassie had possessed the same beautiful blue eyes, but nothing else that resembled his daughter. 

                He had popped her eyes out then swallowed each down until they settled deep inside of his belly.  Her parents would be finding her soon.  Their lovely little angel with the missing eyes.

                He couldn’t wait to hold Abigail in his arms.

~~

                “Cassie Boyle’s parents just found her body.  She was missing her eyes,” Jack informed the team and Will felt his stomach churn.

~~

                He blinked at the picture of the eight year old girl with the bright blue eyes.  Just like Abigail’s.

                “Hey, do you need us to leave?” Beverly asked.

                “N…n…no,” his voice wavered.

                “Let’s give Will the room,” Beverly told Price and Zeller.

                “No!  No!  I can’t….don’t want to be alone with this,” Will said as he paled over.

                “Dude, do not throw up on the crime scene,” Zeller warned.

                Beverly elbowed Brian in the ribs.

                “Take a moment if you need it,” Jimmy offered kindly.

                Will nodded and left the girl’s bedroom, feeling dizzy.  Her eye less face danced around inside of his head.  He sunk to the floor in the hallway then pulled out his cell phone.

                “Will, what can I do for you?” Hannibal’s smooth voice asked on the other end.

                “I…I…” Will stammered.

                “Take a deep breath then tell me what is wrong.”

                He could hear Will’s shaky breathing on the other end.

                “He took her eyes.”

                “I’m afraid you’ll have to explain a little more.”

                “I’m at a crime scene and _that_ man took her eyes.”

                “Hmm,” Hannibal hummed thoughtfully.

                “Her eyes were just like Abigail’s.”

                “Well she is not Abigail.  Abigail is safe at home.”

                “B…but it could be her.”

                “But it’s not.  Abigail is safe.  Perhaps you should call your house and talk with her yourself.”

                “Y…yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

                “You’re alright, Will.  Talk with your daughter, calm down then refocus.  Use your gift to catch this man.”

                Will laughed softly.  “You’re the only person to call this a gift.”

                “It is a gift, Will.  You’ll see that with time.”

                “Thank you for talking with me,” Will sighed.

                “My line is always open.  Do take care, Will.”

                Will dialed home next and spoke to Abigail for a few minutes.  Once he was feeling more in the moment, he returned to the bedroom.

                “Her eyes were removed post mortem,” Beverly told Will.

                “Just like the other body parts from the other girls,” he muttered.

                The bruises were bright against Cassie Boyle’s slender neck.  He could hear her gasping for air while she pleaded for the man to stop.

                Will just wanted to go home.

~~

                “Mr. Graham, you don’t look so good,” Tawny said when Will arrived home later that evening.

                Winston whimpered softly before he walked over to his Master and gave him a gentle nudge.

                “It was a long day at work,” Will sighed and glanced over at his daughter’s sleeping form in front of the TV.

                “She tried to stay up, but she was tired.  Made sure she got a bath though,” Tawny replied.

                “Thanks, do I need to give you a ride home?” he asked then took his wallet out to pay her.

                “No, my mom said she’d pick me up.  She’s here now,” Tawny said.

                Will saw the headlights flash briefly through the window.

                “Have a good evening,” Will replied as the teen skirted out the door.

                He scooped up his sleeping daughter and gave her a kiss.  Winston nudged Lady awake; the puppy slowly stretched out her small body.  Will carried Abigail up to bed with Winston and Lady following at his heels.  He tucked Abigail into his bed then took a shower, trying to wash the images of Cassie Boyle out of his head.  The dogs made room for him on the bed and Will pulled his daughter’s warm, sleeping form close.  He buried his face into her still slightly damp dark hair.  He was afraid that if he let her go, afraid that she would slip away.  That this monster would get hold of her. 

~~

                “Pretty, pretty Abigail,” Garret Jacob Hobbs hummed while he twirled the red hair ribbon around his fingers.

                She would be his very, very soon.   Not just yet though.  Little Marissa had to go first.  Will Graham would taste the fear on his tongue; knowing that Abigail would be next and there was nothing he could do to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All you lovely people leaving kudos and comments are amazing! <3 If you any requests (for this fic or other ones) send them my way.
> 
> You can find me here: http://eyelinerandcigarettes.tumblr.com/


	8. The Shrike

                “Daddy’s been really sad lately.  Maybe you can help him?” Abigail told Hannibal while she sat on the swing.

                “I will do my best to help him,” Hannibal promised as he sat on the swing next to her.

                “Thank you. Uh, can I ask you something?”

                “ _May_ I ask you something,” Hannibal corrected.

                “Kay, may I ask you something?”

                “Very good and yes, you may.”

                “Do you ever wear jeans?”

                Hannibal chuckled softly and shook his head.  “No, my little Abigail, I do not.”

                “Hmm, kay. Oh, will you push me please?  My legs are little and I can’t get very high on my own.”

                He smiled then stood up before moving behind her swing and made her fly high in the air.

~~

                Garrett Jacob Hobbs smiled so wide that his jaw started to ache.  Little Abigail looked precious as she flew higher and higher into the air.

~~

                “Oh, Mr. Hannibal, will you push me too, please?” Marissa begged while she tugged on his pants leg.  Abigail looked like she was having so much fun.

                “Of course, my dear,” he said and she climbed on the swing next to Abigail.  He took turns pushing the two girls.  A breeze picked up and that’s when he noticed the strange scent in the air.  Rancid, evil, dirty.  His nostrils flared and his maroon eyes traveled in the direction toward the man who thought he was well hidden.

                So this must be The Boogeyman.  More of a shrike in his opinion.  Picking apart pieces of the little girls and devouring them.  A much more fitting title, but hell, the new media loved their catchy monikers.

~~

                The sun was starting to set so Hannibal told Abigail that it was time to head back home.

                “My mom isn’t here yet,” Marissa said softly, her bottom lip trembling a bit.

                “Do you know your mom’s phone number?  I can call her for you,” Hannibal offered.

                Marissa pulled a small pink cell phone out of her coat pocket and pressed into Hannibal’s hand.  “She putted it in there for me,” she explained softly.

                He admitted that he felt a little silly with a sparkly pink cell phone pressed to his ear.  He frowned when the phone went straight to voicemail.

                “She didn’t answer, did she?” Marissa asked, her big brown eyes were sad.

                “She did not, I’m afraid.  Perhaps you can come back with us.  I cannot leave you by yourself and it’s getting too cold out at night to stay here until she arrives.”

                “Yeah, you can play with Lady and have dinner with us,” Abigail grinned.

                “Kay,” Marissa said and quickly wiped away a few stray tears.

                Hannibal took each of their hands and walked them back to Will’s house.  The smell of the man was no longer in the air.  Perhaps Hannibal had stolen an opportunity away from him.  A sick feeling settled in his stomach.  He glanced down at Marissa, who still looked upset.

                “Marissa, what is your favorite thing to eat?” he asked once they were inside.

                “Chicken noodle soup,” she sniffled.

                “Why don’t you and Abby sit in the living room with the dogs while I make some chicken noodle soup for us,” he smiled.

                “Kay, thank you,” she said and gave him a little smile.

                Hannibal was disappointed that he had to use actual chicken breasts, but he didn’t have access to his freezer at the moment.  While the soup bubbled on the stove, he called Marissa’s mother again and left her a voice message to inform her of where she could pick up her daughter.  Will arrived home later with bloodshot eyes and discovered two little girls sitting around the dining room table.

                “Did you get a twin while I was gone, Abby?” Will teased as he ducked down to kiss the top of his daughter’s head.

                “No, Daddy,” she giggled.

                “Hi, Mr. Graham,” Marissa said.

                “Hi, Marissa,” he replied and kissed her cheek.  She was Abigail’s best friend. 

                He let the girls continue to eat and joined Hannibal in the kitchen.

                “Did Marissa’s mom forget to pick her up again?” Will sighed.

                “This is a habit of hers?” Hannibal asked with surprise.

                “Katherine’s a single mom, she tries her best, she just….she loves Marissa, she’s just very scatterbrained.”

                “Hmmm,” Hannibal said with pursed lips.

                “Don’t judge, it’s not easy being a single parent,” Will defended.

                “I’m sure it’s not, but you don’t ever just forget about Abigail.”

                “Well not now, I have to admit that I wasn’t so great at being a single parent a few years ago.  I was a mess after Abigail’s mother died and there were times I thought maybe she’d be better off in the hands of her grandparents,” he admitted.

                Well thank goodness you changed your mind.”

                “Oh yeah, I can’t imagine my life without her in it.”

                “Daddy, can Marissa sleep over?” Abigail asked when she came into the kitchen with her empty bowl.

                “Did she hear from her mom yet?”

                “No, so she can sleep over, right?”

                “She can sleep over, that’s fine.”

                “Yay!  Thanks, Daddy!” she grinned.

                “You don’t think Katherine will come collect Marissa tonight?” Hannibal asked curiously.

                “I’m guessing not.  It’s already late.  I’ll drop her off at school in the morning.”

                “You’re a good man, Will.”

                “Thank you,” Will replied with a hint of surprise in his voice.

                Once the girls were tucked into Abigail’s bed along with Lady, Will insisted Hannibal stay for a nightcap.  Will pulled out a particularly good bottle of scotch much to Hannibal’s surprise.

                “I have some whiskey if you prefer.  I’m afraid I don’t buy much wine, oh I might have some beers in the fridge.”

                “Scotch is just fine.  Thank you, Will.”

                He poured about two fingers worth into each glass.

                “May I ask about the case?”

                “Only if you promise not to run to the media with it.  Especially Freddie Lounds,” Will joked wryly.

                “My lips are sealed and I can assure you that I don’t keep company with Freddie Lounds.”

                “We’re closing in on some suspects.  This man wants to replace his daughter so we’ve narrowed it down to a few men who’ve lost daughters around the same age in the past two years.”

                “He’ll be caught soon then.”

                “Very soon.”

~~

                Will had passed out in the easy chair after a few more glasses of scotch.  Hannibal tossed a blanket over him before he moved into Will’s office.  He opened the man’s briefcase and scanned over the suspect files.  He settled on one name.

                _Garrett Jacob Hobbs_.

                Oh yes, he would be caught very soon.  He would make the most delicious meal.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for kink meme prompt: In which Will is a struggling single father to an eight-year-old Abigail. They both live next to a seclusive, rich man (Hannibal) and Will forbids Abigail to visiting Hannibal's house alone because he has a bad feeling about him. 
> 
> Of course, being the stubborn and curious child that Abigail is, she decides to visit Hannibal one day. 
> 
> Hannibal winds up inviting her in and making her a nice home-made meal (people, of course). She converses with him about her home life and her dad and hearing of her dad piques Hannibal's interest. Once the meal is finished, Hannibal sends her off back home. 
> 
> That's when the stalking of the Grahams begins.


End file.
